Services to be held for Burlington firefighter

Burlington Firefighter Ky Duttlinger passed away from job-related cancer on March 23, 2023. A memorial service will be held at Burlington Community High School, Carl Johanssen Gymnasium, on Saturday, April 1, at 11 a.m., according to a Fire Department release.

Beginning at approximately 10:30 a.m. on April 1, members of the Burlington Fire Department will conduct a processional from Central Fire Station to Burlington Community High School, passing by many of Firefighter Duttlinger’s favorite places. A map of the route can be found on the Burlington Fire Department’s Facebook page. Community members not attending the memorial service but wishing to honor Firefighter Duttlinger are encouraged to line the route.

Firefighters and other emergency responders should plan to arrive at Burlington Community High School by 10 a.m. to prepare for the arrival of Firefighter Duttlinger and the Burlington Fire Department.

Duttlinger, 51, of Burlington, died after a job-related cancer, surrounded by his fire service family.

Fire Chief Matt Trexel said Tuesday that Duttlinger was diagnosed with colon cancer in May of 2022. “Colon cancer falls under the presumptive cancers in Iowa, meaning we presume the cancer is linked to his job as a firefighter,” Trexel said.

“There are many factors in our work that contribute to high cancer rates. We are much more aware of the risks now than we were 20 years ago and take more precautions, but at the same time the environments where we work are increasingly more toxic,” he said.

A graduate of Pleasant Valley High School, Duttlinger attended Kirkwood and Scott Community College, where he earned his associate’s degree. He served as a firefighter for 31 years — first on the volunteer fire department in Riverdale before joining the Burlington Fire Department.  

“Ky loved being outdoors. He was an avid outdoorsman; fishing, morel mushroom hunting and hunting, especially out of state hunting,” according to his obituary. “Fire service was a huge part of his life. He was a long serving Union President and Member of Local 301 and State Vice President for the Iowa Professional Firefighters Association.

“Ky was very passionate about helping fire fighters across the state and was always available,” the obituary says. “He was the driving force for getting benefits for firefighters that have gotten cancer through their work. He has been named Vice President Emeritus by IPFF Board for his years of service.”

The remembrance service for Duttlinger will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 1, 2023, at Burlington High School’s Carl Johanssen Gymnasium, 421 Terrace Drive. Fire Service Funeral Honors will be rendered. A private burial will be in Bailey Cemetery in Keswick, Iowa at a later date.